Method of and apparatus for spinning a single-ply yarn comprising a blend of animal and vegetable fibers



Oct. 8, 1935. NUTTER 2,016,387

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPINNING A SINGLE PLY YARN COMPRISING A BLEND 0F ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FIBERS Filed April 9, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnyenror. Frank Everefi Nufler ATTys.

Oct. 8, 1935.

F. E. NUTTER 2,015,337 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPINNING A SINGLE PLY YARN COMPRISING A BLEND OF ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE FIBERS Flled Aprll 9, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 S m .w nm A m I WE m K v n m L :=Eu.LW

Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FIBERS Frank Everett Nutter, Sanford, Maine, assignor to Goodall Worsted Company, Sanford, Maine, a

corporation of Maine Application April 9, 1935, Serial No. 15,376

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the spinning ofa slngle-ply yarn from a mixture or blend of relatively long fibers, such as long animal fibers, and relatively short fibers such as short vegetable fibers. One object of the invention is to provide apparatus should be properly spaced with relation to the length of the fibers of which the roving is composed in order to perform correctly the drafting operation, the front and rear drawing rolls being spaced further apart for drafting a long-fiber roving than for drafting a short-fiber roving. If the front and rear drawing rolls are a spaced apart too great a distance for the shortflber roving the result will be that the drafting 25' operation will not be evenly performed and an uneven yarn will be produced, while if the front and rear drawing rolls are spaced too closely together for any long-fiber roving some of the individual fibers will be caught by the nip of the front rolls 30 before they are released by the back rolls with the result that the fibers will be broken.

Spinning apparatus now commonly used for spinning yarn from a roving of relatively long animal fiber is sometimes referred to as a 35. worsted type spinning apparatus, of which a ,spinning apparatus operating on the worsted systemknown as the Bradford system is an example. The spinning apparatus which is commonly used for spinning yarn from a roving of cotton or-slmilar relatively short vegetable fiber is commonly referredto as a "cotton type apparatus or a spinning apparatus operating on the cotton system. The drawing mechanism of a worsted type spinning'apparatus comprises the front rolls 45 and the back rolls which are properly spaced and have the proper characteristics for correctly drafting the rovingof relatively long animal fiber,.

and it also includes co-operating carrier rolls and tumbler rolls situated between the front rolls and 50 back rolls and which serve to support theroving in 'its travel from the back rolls to the front rolls.

In the drafting apparatus of a spinning machine of the cotton type the back rolls are situ- 5 ated much nearer the front rolls than in the draftingapparatus of the worsted type because of the shorter length of the cottonor vegetable fiber. Moreover, the back rolls of the cotton type drafting apparatus are much smaller than those of the worsted type and have a construction 5 which especially adapts them to drafting a cotton roving. Heretofore, these two types of spinning apparatus have been considered as quite distinct types. one type of apparatus being adapted to spin yarn from a roving of relatively long animal fiber and the other type of apparatus being adapted to spin yarn from a roving of shorter cotton or other vegetable fiber.

In the present invention, I have provided a modified form of draftingmechanism for spinning apparatus which functions both on the order of the worsted system and on the order of the "cotton system so that by delivering to the draw--- ing rolls two rovings, one composed of relatively long fiber such as mohair or wool or any other long staple fiber which is adapted to be spun on the. so-called Bradford system and the other composed of relatively short vegetable fiber such as cotton or any other short staple fiber adapted to the cotton spinning system, each roving, as it passes through the same set of drawing rolls, will be drafted according to its peculiar requirements, the roving of relatively long animal fiber being drafted correctly for the length and characteristics of its fiber, and the roving of short vegetable fiber being drafted correctly for the length and characteristics of its fiber, the two rovings thus being separately and individually-drafted. The machine embodying the invention is also so {constructed that the two individually-drafted rovings are delivered from the front rolls at the same point as a single unit which is subjected to a spinning twist to form it into a single-ply yarn in the nature of a blend of the long animal fibers and short vegetable fiber, said single-ply yarn being wound on the yarn carrier as it is spun as is usually done in spinning operations.

A spinning machine embodying this invention is provided with a drafting apparatus comprising a pair of front rolls of usual construction, a pair of back rolls which have the proper construction and the proper spacing from the front rolls so that the front rolls will properly draft a roving of relatively long animal fiber which is fed to said back rolls, and a second set of rolls located intermediate of said front rolls and back rolls, which second-set of rolls are spaced from the front rolls a proper distance and have a proper construction for drafting correctly a roving of relatively short vegetable fiber, .This

second set of rolls functions both as carrier rolls for the roving of relatively long animal fiber in its travel from the back rolls to the front rolls and also as back rolls for the drafting of the roving of relatively short vegetable fiber.

In the operation of the machine the roving of relatively long animal fiber is fed to the firstnamed set of back rolls and thence over the intermediate rolls to the front rolls and is subjected to the usual drafting operation between the back rolls and front rolls, the intermediate rolls, as stated above functioning as carrier rolls for said roving. The roving of relatively short vegetable fiber is fed to and through the drafting mechanism in such a way that it is subjected to the necessary drafting operation between the front 'type drafting apparatus.

rolls and the intermediate rolls. One way of accomplishing this is to feed the roving of short vegetable fiber directly to the intermediate rolls so that it will skip or by-pass the back rolls. These intermediate rolls, which for identification purposes will be referred to as carrier rolls and tumbler rolls since they perform the function of carrier and tumbler rolls of a worsted spinning system so far as the roving of long animal fiber is concerned, are constructed so that they function as back drawing rolls for the roving of relatively short vegetable fiber, for which purpose the carrier roll desirably is a metal roll properly as the back drawing rolls for the shortfiber roving without interfering with the drawing action on the roving of animal fiber, I propose to use a roving of the relatively short cotton fiber which has a somewhat larger diameter than the roving of animal fiber at the point where the latter passes between the carrier rolls and tumbler rolls so that the weight of the tumbler rolls will be taken by the roving of relatively short vegetable fiber and the other roving will not be pinched between said tumbler and carrier rolls. In this way the tumbler rolls and carrier rolls provide the necessary drag on the roving of vegetable fiber so that said roving will be properly drafted between the carrier rolls and the front rolls.

My improvements, therefore, provide a method of spinning a single-ply yarn comprising a blend of relatively long animal fiber and relatively short vegetable fiber which consists in individuallydrafting a roving of animal fiber in the usual way according to the worsted system and separately and individually-drafting a second roving of relatively short vegetable fiber by feeding saia roving to the drafting apparatus in such a way that it will be separately drafted between the carrier rolls and front rolls, said second roving of vegetable fiber being sufilciently larger than the roving of. animal fiber at the point where it passes between the carrier and tumbler rolls which form the back rolls for said vegetable fiber roving, so that as the two rovings pass between said carrier rolls and tumbler rolls, said mils will apply the proper grip and control to the rovin rolls 3, 2.

of vegetable fiber to enable the front rolls to perform thereon the drafting operation correctly while allowing the smaller animal fiber roving to slip between the carrier and tumbler rolls without having any appreciable pressure applied to it. 5

In this way the functioning of the carrier and tumbler rolls as back rolls for the drafting operation on the vegetable fiber does not interfere with the drafting operation on the long animal fiber roving which is produced by the co-operation of 10 the back rolls and front rolls.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings more or less diagrammatically some ways inwhich the invention may be practised. 15

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating my improved method as being carried out on a drawing frame.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the improved method as applied to a spinning frame. 20 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating the driving connections for the back rolls, the carrier rolls and the front rolls.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 1, with the rolls shown in elevation. 25 Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the manner in which the two rovings are individually drawn and then twisted into a single-ply yarn.

Referring first to Fig. 1 which illustrates-my improved method as being carried out in the op- 30 eration of a drawing frame, I indicates generally the drawing frame which is provided with top and bottom front drawing rolls 2 and 3 and with top and bottom back drawing rolls 4 and 5. The drafting apparatus of this machine is on the or- 35 der of the well-known worsted type and it is provided with carrier rolls 5 and 'l situated between the front rolls and back rolls, and is also provided with tumbler rolls 8 and 9 which co-operate with the carrier rolls 6 and I. The roving of rela- 40 tively long animal fibers is indicated at I0 and it is shown as being withdrawn from a spool ll mounted on the drawing frame. Said roving is shown as passing through the guide [2 and around a roll l3, thence between the back rolls 4 and 5 45 and forwardly to the front rolls 2 and 3, said roving passing between the carrier rolls 6, 'l and the tumbler rolls 8, 9 in its travel to the front rolls. The lower back roll 5, the carrier rolls 6, I and the lower front roll 3 are positively driven as is 50 usual in machines of this type and the front roll is driven faster than the back rolls so as to produce the usual drafting action on the roving l0 between the front rolls and back rolls. It will be understood, of course, that the front rolls 2 55' subjected to no appreciable drafting action until 65- it leaves the carrier and tumbler rolls 6, 8, the drafting of the roving l4 taking place between the carrier and tumbler rolls 6, 8 and. the front One way of accomplishing this is to lead the roving l4 directly to' the carrier roll ,1 without causing it to pass between the back rolls 4 and 5, so that said roving i4 by-passes the back rolls 4 and 5 and is acted on only by the carrierroll and tumbler-roll combination and the front rolls. i6

The carrier rolls 'and tumbler rolls are constructed and operated so that as far as the roving I4 is concerned they function as back rolls of the drafting means for said roving l4. For this purpose the carr'ier roll 1 is preferably a smooth, metal roller and the carrier roll 6 a metal roller with a fine, fluted surface. The tumbler rolls 8 and 9 are preferably metal rolls covered with cork or rubber so as to provide a suitable grip on the roving [4 Moreover, the tumbler rolls 8, 9 are constructed to have sufficient weight to prevent the roving I4 from slipping between them. In fact, these rollers are constructed to provide the same grip on the roving l4 of vegetable fiber that it is necessary to have for the back rolls of a drafting-apparatus.

The carrier rolls 6; 1 are positively .driven and preferably at a surface speed substantially the same as that of the back roll 5, although the carrier roll 6 may have a surface speed slightly greater than the carrier roll 1 if desired. The surface speed of the carrier rolls 6, I, however, is less than that of the front rolls 2 and 3, and said carrier rolls are properly ratched to give them the proper spacing from the front rolls to correspond to the length of fiber of which the roving I4 is composed. As the roving I4 passes from the carrier rolls 5, I to the front rolls it will receive the proper drafting action for its length of fiber, the construction of the carrier rolls and tumbler rolls being such that they function as back rolls of a drafting apparatus so far as the roving I4 is concerned. If the carrier roll 6 is rotated slightly faster than the carrier roll 1 then there will be slight drafting action between the two rolls 5, I but the principal drafting of the roving l4 occurs between the carrier roll 6 and I the front rolls 2, 3. Since the two rovings l and H both pass between the same carrier rolls and tumbler rolls it is necessary to provide an arrangement by which the carrier rolls 6, I. and tumbler rolls 8 and 9 will co-operate with the front rolls 2, 3 for producing the proper 'draft ,in the roving M of vegetable fiber without interfering with the drafting action of the front rolls and rear rolls on the roving ll! of relatively long animal fiber. In other words, the carrier rolls and tumbler rolls must provide the proper grip on the roving I4 so that said roving will not slip between themwithout pinching the roving ID to such an extent as to interfere with the proper drafting thereof. This is accomplished by employing a roving l4 which is slightly larger than the portion of the roving l0 passing between the carrier and tumbler rolls, so that as the rovings come together at the roll 1 the weight of the tumbler rolls will be taken by the larger roving l4, thereby properly gripping it while the smaller roving ID of animal fiber can freely slip between the carrier rolls and tumbler rolls without being pinched or gripped to an extent which will interfere with the proper draftingof said roving Hi.

This is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4, although it will be understood that in practise roving somewhat.

- the weight'of the tumbler roll will flatten the Each of the rovings land l4 are thus individually-drafted, each roving being subjected to a drafting action which is appropriate to its fiber 'length. The two rovings come together in sideimparts the spinning twist to the single unit 13 and which winds it on the yarn carrier I9 is in the nature of a fiy frame" of usual construction and which is operated by the usual means to impart the proper amount of twist to the single unit 18 between the nip of the front rolls 2 and 3 and said fiy frame, thereby forming a single-' ply yarn composed of a blend of relatively long animal fibers and relatively short vegetable fibers, such single-ply yarn being wound on the yarn carrier IS. The manner in which these two rovings are thus individually-drafted and then subjected to the spinning twist which forms the single-ply ya n is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. in which the line 5| indicates the line along which the back rolls bite or grip the roving I D, the line 52 illustrates the line along which the carrier roll 1 and tumbler roll 9 grip the roving Hi, the line 53 illustrates the line along which the carrier roll 6 and tumbler roll 8 bite or grip the roving l4 and the line 54 illustrates the line along which the front rolls 2 and 3 bite or grip both rovings. The drafting action on the roving It! takes place between the lines 5| and 54, said roving passing freely between the carrier rolls and tumbler rolls as stated above. The drafting action on the roving l4, however, takes place principally between the lines 53 and'54 although there may be some drafting action between the lines 52 and 53 depending upon the relative rotation of the two carrier rolls. This Fig. 5 shows how the two rovings pass between the tumbler and carrier rolls in side-by-side relation and after being individually-drafted, are delivered from the front rolls as a single unit l8 which is subjected to the requisite spinning twist between the fiy frame and the nip of the front rolls, thereby forming the single-ply yarn.

2| indicates a slide or support between the front carrier roll 5 and the front rolls which serves to support the roving end when it is being fed into the machine thereby guiding said end to the front rolls.

I have stated that the lower back roll 5, the

driving connection by which these rolls can be operated. In said figure, 22 indicates the back roll shaft which extends the length of the machine and which carries a plurality of lower back rolls 5. 23 indicates the front roll shaft on which is mounted a corresponding number of lower front rolls 6. The front roll shaft is shown ashaving a driving gear 24 thereon by which it is'operated and it is connectedto a back roll shaft 22 by a train of gearing constructed to,rotate the back roll shaft at the proper speed and in the proper direction. This train of gearing comprises a gear 25 on the front roll shaft 23 which meshes with an intermediate gear 26, the latter having rigid therewith a gear 21 which meshes with and drives a gear 28 on the back roll shaft 22."

I have shown the rear carrier roll 1 as being driven from the back roll shaft 22 through one train of gearing and the front carrier roll 5 as being driven from said rear shaft through'a second train of gearing. The ca1 'rier roll I is mounted on a shaft 29 which has a gear 30 thereon meshing with an intermediate'gear 3| that in turn meshes with a gear 32 on a shaft 22,

said gears being properly proportioned to give the carrier roll 1 the desired speed of rotation relative to the back roll 5, and as stated above, it is proposed to drive the rear carrier roll at about the same surface speed as the back roll 5. The front carrier roll 6 is carried by a shaft 32 which has a gear 33 thereon meshing with an intermediate gear 34, the latter meshing with a gear 35 on the back roll shaft 22.

In Fig. 2 there is shown diagrammatically a spinning frame embodying the features of my invention. The spinning frame itself is shown at 36 and is provided with a drafting mechanism on the order of the worsted type, but which, however, is modified to include the features on the order of the cotton type necessary for drafting the two rovings separately. This drafting apparatus comprises the front rolls- 31, 38 and the back rolls 39, 40, the carrier rolls 4|, 42, the corresponding tumbler rolls 43, 44. The apparatus is also shown as provided with an additional carrier roll 45. The back rolls 39, 40 are correctly spaced from the front rolls 31, 38 to perform properly the drafting operation on the :roving Ill composed of relatively long animal fibers and the carrier rolls 4|, 42 will be correctly spaced relative to the front rolls to perform properly the drafting operation on the roving 14 of relatively short vegetable fiber. The roving l4 of vegetable fiber is led directly from the spool i5 to the carrier roll 45, while the roving ll) of relatively long animal fibers is led to the back rolls 39, 40, suitable guides 46, 41 being employed to guide the rovings. The rovings are thus brought together after the roving ID of animal fiber has passed the back drawing rolls 39, 40 and the two rovings pass between the carrier rolls and tumbler rolls side by side and are delivered from the front rolls 38, 38 at the same point and as a single unit It which passes through a suitable guide 48 and thence to the twisting and winding device which is herein shown as in the form of a cap spinning device 58 by which the unit I8 is subjected to the spinning twist by which it .is formed into a single-ply yarn containing a blend of the animal and vegetable fibers. Where the additional carrier roll 45 is employed the gearing for driving one of the other carrier rolls will be provided with suitable connections for rotating the carrier roll 45 at the proper speed and in the proper direction.

According to this invention, therefore, the two rovings, one of relatively long animal fiber and the other of relatively short vegetable fiber are taken through the same set of drafting rolls which are constructed so that in passing through these rolls each roving is individually-drafted in a manner best suited to its length of fiber, the two individually-drafted rovings being delivered from the same pair of front rolls at the same point and then being subjected to the spinning twist to form a single-ply yarn which is a blend of the long animal fibers and short vegetable fibers. The invention is especially advantageous in making a single-ply yarn formed from a blend or mixture of mohair and cotton fiber. Such a yarn has the strength of the long mohair fiber and it has the holding non-slippery characteristic of the short cotton fiber.

When a yarn made in accordance with this invention is examined under a microscope it will be found to have a twisted body portion 43 composed of the mixture of the mohair and cotton fiber from which projects a multiplicity of short ends SI of cotton fiber. This cotton fiber is nonslippery and has a more or less clinging characteristic and the cotton fibers which are exposed on the surface of the yarn 49 as well as the multiplicity of the short ends of the cotton fiber which project from the yarn give the completed 5 yarn a clinging or holding quality which is a factor in producing a firm fabric. A fabric made of this yarn will have the resilient lustrous and nonwrinkling quality of a mohair fabric and also the firm feel and other characteristics of a cotton 10 fabric. Furthermore, in such a fabric the shrinkage properties are controlled by the long animal fibers which contract very naturally to the long or normal length and allow the short vegetable fiber to assume its natural shrink. 15

I claim.

1. The method of spinning a single-ply yarn comprising a blend of relatively long animal fibers and relatively short vegetable fibers which consists in feeding a roving of relatively long an- 20 imal fiber to the back rolls of a drafting device comprising back rolls, front rolls and intermediate carrier and weighted tumbler rolls, feeding directly to the carrier and weighted tumbler rolls a second roving of relatively short vegetable fiber 25 which has a larger diameter than the roving of animal fiber whereby said tumbler and carrier rolls apply the proper back-roll grip to the second roving while leaving the roving of' animal fiber free to pass between them without being 30 gripped thereby and each roving is thus individually-drafted in accordance with its fiber length, said individually-draftedrovings being delivered, from the front rolls as a single unit, and imparting a spinning twist to said single roving unit to 35 form a single-ply yarn.

2. The method of.spinning a single-ply yarn from two separate rovings of different diameter, the smaller of which is composed of relatively long animal fibers and the larger of which is com- 40 posed of relatively short vegetable fibers, which consists in subjecting the roving of relatively long animal fiber to a drafting action between the front rolls and back rolls of a drafting device which comprises also carrier rolls and weighted 45 tumbler rolls between the front rolls and back rolls, subjecting the roving of relatively short vegetable fiber to a separate drafting action between the front rolls and the carrier and tumbler rolls, the larger size of the roving of vegetable 50 "fiber preventing the carrier and tumbler rolls from I posed of relatively long animal fibers and the other of which is composed of relatively short vegetable fibers, said apparatus comprising a pair of front drawing rolls, a pair of back drawing rolls spaced relative to the front rolls to draft properly said roving of animal fiber, a carrierroll and co-operating tumbler roll situated between the front and back rolls and spaced from the front rolls a proper distance for drafting the roving of vegetable fiber, means to feed the roving of animal fiber to the back rolls, whereby said roving receives a drafting action between the front rolls and back rolls and is progressively reduced in diameter as it passes from the back drafting action" on the smaller roving of animal fiber whereby thetwo rovings are individuallydrafted and delivered from the front rolls as a single unit and means to impart a spinning twist to said unit to form a single-ply yarn. a

4. An apparatus for spinning single-ply yarn from two rovings one of which is composed of relatively long animal fiber and the other of which is composed of relatively short vegetable fiber, which apparatus comprises a pair of front rolls, a pair of back rolls of the worsted drafting ,type spaced a proper distance from the front rolls to draft the roving of animal fiber, a second pair of back rolls of the cotton drafting type situated between the front rolls and the firstnamed back rollsand spaced from the front rolls a proper distance for drafting a roving of vegetable fiber, means to feed the roving of animal fiber to the back rolls of the worsted type, said roving passing between the back rolls of the cotton type, means to feed to the back rolls of the cotton type a roving of vegetable fiber which has a diameter larger than that of the roving of animal fiber at the point where it passes between the latter back rolls whereby the roving of vegeable fiber receives a back-roll grip' from the cotton type back rolls and the latter are'prevented by the larger diameter of the roving of vegetable fiber from applying a back-roll grip to the smaller roving of animal fiber, said rovings being thus individually-drafted and delivered from the front rolls at the same point as a single unit and means to twist said unit into a singleply yam.

5. An apparatus for spinning single-ply yarn from two rovings, one of which is composed of relatively long animal fiber. and the other of which is composed of relatively short vegetable fiber, which apparatus comprises a pair of front rolls, two sets of back rolls having a tandem arrangement, one set being spaced from the front rolls the properdistance for drafting the roving of animal fiber and the other set being spaced the proper distance from the front rolls for drafting the roving of vegetable fiber, means for rotating the two sets of back rolls at substantially the same speed, means for feeding the roving of animal fiber to the first set of back rolls, said roving passing between the back rolls of the second set and to the front rolls, means for feeding to the second set of back rolls a roving of vegetable fiber which has a diameter larger than the ing action between the front rolls and back rolls relatively short vegetable fibers.

diameter of 'the roving of animal fiber at the point where it passes between the back rolls of the second set, whereby said second set of back rolls applies a back-roll grip to the larger roving of vegetable fiber while allowing the smaller 5 roving of animal fiber to pass freely between said rolls so that the two rovings are individuallydrafted, and means to twist the two individuallydrafted rovings into a single-ply yarn.

6. The method of spinning a single-ply yarn from two separate rovings, one of which, is composed of relatively long animal fibers and the other of which is composed of relatively short vegetable fibers which consists in subjecting the roving of relatively long animal fiber to a draftof a drafting device which comprises also carrier' rolls and weighted tumbler rolls between the front rolls and back rolls, subjecting the roving of relatively short vegetable fiber to a separate drafting action between the front rolls and the carrier and tumbler rolls, the drafting action on the roving of relatively long animal fiber reducing the diameter thereof at the point where it passes through said carrier and tumbler rolls below that of the roving of short vegetable fiber whereby the roving of animal fiber passes between the tumbler and carrier rolls without receiving 'the'refrom any appreciable gripping action, delivering the two individually-drafted ,rovings 30 from the front rolls at the same point as a single unit and imparting a spinning twist to said single unit to form a single-ply yarn comprising a blend of the relative long ammal fibers and th '7. The method of spinning a single-ply yarn from two separate rovings, one of which is composed of relatively long animal fibers and'the other of which is composed of relatively short vegetable fibers, which method consists in draft- 40 ing the roving of relatively long animal fibers between the front and back rolls of a drafting apparatus which comprises also carrier and tumbler rolls situated between the back rolls and front rolls, feeding through the carrier and tumbler rolls and the front rolls a roving of relatively short vegetable fiber which is larger than the roving of relatively long animal fiber as it passes between the carrier and tumbler rolls and draft ing said roving of short vegetable fiber between the carrier and tumbler rolls and the front rolls, the larger size of the roving of short vegetable fiher at the point where said rovings pass between the carrier and tumbler rolls preventing said rolls from applying to the roving of long animal fiber a pressure which would interfere with the drafting thereof, delivering the two individuallydrafted rovings from the front rolls at the same point as a single unit and imparting a spinning twist to said single unit to form a single-ply 5' yarn. 

